Calibre has formed a strategic alliance with the world's largest Rubber Band manufacturer to give it's UK customers unrivalled service and quality.

FAQ 1 : Where does rubber come from?

Natural rubber is extracted from a tree called "Hevea brasiliensis" which originated in the Amazon rain forests. As early as 1876, H.A. Wickham brought seeds of the Hevea tree from Brazil to Kew Gardens near London. After successfully cultivating these, these were then distributed to India, Ceylon and British Malaya. The actual birth of regular rubber planting dates from that period.

The tree takes around 5 years to grow from a seedling to maturity, or a point that it can start to produce rubber. It has an economic life of about 25 to 30 years.

FAQ 2 : Where is rubber grown?

Basically in areas 15% north and south of the equator. Countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, India, China and Brazil. All these countries have high temperatures, rainfall and humidity at low altitude.

Recent developments of new breed varieties can be grown in areas 20% north of the equator.

FAQ 3 : Who is the largest producers?

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia account for about 75% of the world production.

FAQ 4 : How is rubber collected?

Rubber is extracted in the form of latex, a white, milky fluid which is found in the inner layers of the bark of the trees, using a method known as "tapping". This involves paring away the outer bark to a depth of about 2mm in a series of spiral cuts using a special knife.

The latex then bleeds from the cut and trickles into a collecting cup for a period of in excess of several hours, until it begins to coagulate and the flow ceases. Tappers sometimes tap up to 500 trees per day.